After trying their burgers and absolutely loving them, I knew I wanted to try some of the rest of their range which includes these Plant Based Schnitzels. I love the idea of being able to just fry a couple of these up and pair them with some fresh salad or mashed potatoes and steamed veg. I sometimes miss the kind of food I grew up with in that we always had our "meat", veggies, and carby side dish.

I usually find myself craving crispy, breaded anything so these schnitzels are right up my alley. All they took was about 5 minutes per side in a lightly oiled pan set to medium heat. You simply cook them until they are golden brown and crispy on both sides. I finished mine with a sprinkling of sea salt and pepper flakes and served them up with a fresh garden salad.

What I loved about them was how crispy and satisfying they were. As I said, I'm a sucker for anything breaded and crispy and these certainly delivered. I also loved the flavour of the schnitzel as a whole although I believe they desperately needed salt to bring out that flavour. Almost anything that's breaded and fried however requires tons of salt, it's a fact so it's not unique to these schnitzels. They're also quite economical because they're inexpensive and paired with an inexpensive salad, you've got a super cheap meal.

BYPASS or BUY - BUY! Love, Love, Love! As I said, they're ridiculously crispy and delicious and had a good flavour that was brought out by the salt they needed. I loved the price and would most definitely buy them again. Eating these also made me excited to try their nuggets because I feel like they'll be similar but bite sized snacks are always more fun aren't they?

I'm always on the hunt for the newest burgers because frankly, burgers are probably in my top 3 favourite things to eat. I absolutely love the combination of bread, messy toppings, and piping hot patty. A burger is an experience to me you know and everything has to be just right for it to be what I'm looking for. Although I'm a fan of a traditional beefy impersonator, I always love to try new flavours and these curry cauliflower burgers caught my eye right as I saw them.

Eden Foods is new to the Irish market as of January 2019 and they offer a few different kinds of burger patties and some bite sized snacks as well, all of which I'm sure I'll be trying. Let's chat about these new burgers!

What I loved about them was the flavour. The smell of curry permeated the air as the patties sizzled away stirring up hunger from the depths of my belly. I loved the size and thickness of the patties as well because it meant I could go for larger buns. Burger to bun ratio is super important guys, too much bun and not enough patty makes for a sad burger experience.

After sizzling away for 5 or so minutes per side, the patties had a lovely brown crust and were ready for eating. I must admit, the texture was very comparable to a typical bean burger in that they kind of lacked a stiff texture which I typically enjoy. What worked for these though is that they were so creamy inside that they took away the need for additional creamy condiments. I was able to enjoy the burgers on a nice soft bun with butter lettuce and nothing else. The burgers were moist and creamy and beyond flavourful like, so much curry flavour. I also loved that they were made with wholesome ingredients like cauliflower and sweet potato.

BYPASS or BUY - BUY! I strongly suggest giving these a try. I love the idea of supporting an up and coming company that uses good for you ingredients. As I said, the texture would normally bother me but because they were so flavourful and creamy, it actually worked in their favour. I loved the smell and flavour of these burgers and how simply I was able to dress them. I enjoyed every single bite of these burgers and look forward to trying their other burgers / bites.

Check out their website www.edenfoods.ie which is still in the process of updating but you can find their social media links and give them a follow. I'm looking forward to seeing what else Eden Foods comes out with in the future!

How nostalgic eating lunch meat is to me. Did you guys grow up eating lunch meat sandwiches packed by your parents at school? In all honesty, I pretty much hated all lunch meat growing up because there were major issues with sliminess and texture that I just couldn't get around but that doesn't mean that 17 years later I can't sit down and enjoy a "lunch meat" sandwich.

I decided to pick up these vegetarian ham slices because I needed a varied sandwich selection as I was pretty much eating veggie sandwiches or egg mayo everyday and it was time to switch things up. Before I put my first sandwich together, I decided to rip a piece of this ham out and try it on its own and honestly, it was pretty good. It had none of the sliminess of actual lunch meat, a good texture, and good flavour as well.

What I love about this product is that there's enough in there to get a couple sammies out of. I was able to get 2 hearty sandwiches out of the package and for the price, that's a pretty good value. When paired with lettuce, tomato, mayo, and cheese, this was wholly reminiscent of my childhood sandwiches without any of the grosie josie things I remember about eating lunch meat. It was exactly what I'd hoped it would be and now I have something to add to my sandwich rotation that I know I'm going to enjoy!

BYPASS or BUY - BUY! I suggest giving this product a go. As I said, it's everything you want from a lunch meat sammie without any of the gross attributes actual lunch meat has. It's got protein, it tastes good, and it's easy to throw together for a yummy lunch on the go. Definitely give this one a go!

HAPPY VEG

Check out the Quorn website for all of their products, recipes, and more!www.quorn.co.uk/

One of the things I miss about Canada is the veggie burgers. As I've mentioned before, the ones you order at restaurants are almost always mashed potato like with crispy coatings and they don't give me that same satisfaction that a beyond meat burger would give me. It almost feels sacrilegious to smother them with condiments like ketchup, mayo, or pickles, so I'm always on the lookout for good quality burgers I can enjoy at the hostel.

Vegafit's line is pretty impressive with burgers, steaks, schnitzels, and nuggets among some of the products available. When I spotted these burgers, I was eager to try them because they were more reminiscent of what a veggie burger is supposed to look like to me. I had high hopes for these patties and also intended to use this experience to determine whether I should reach for the rest of the line the next time I was out shopping.

They're super easy to cook, just a few minutes on each side until brown and nicely crisped. I set them up with lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo, and spicy cheddar and dove in. They're pretty delicious I must admit, they definitely gave me the veggie burger vibe I've been missing in this country. They crisped up nice on the outside but didn't dry out which was great. They had great flavour and held together throughout the entire burger eating process. I also loved how they looked with their ridges and crispy fried appearance. I was definitely impressed.

BYPASS or BUY- BUY! If you're looking for a burger experience that actually satisfies that veggie burger craving, these are the burgers for you. They were flavourful, crispy, and really held up against all of my toppings. One thing I must remind you all is to be mindful of your bun to burger ratio. The patties are a little bit thin so you must be mindful when choosing buns. If your bun is too big, the patty will definitely get lost creating a dry and less impressive experience. Overall, wonderful product and I can't wait to try the rest of their line!

Another product from Quorn's extensive line of meat free products, these pepper steaks were on my list of must trys. Steak was never something I really ate prior to abandoning meat so it wasn't about comparing this to the real thing so much as just eating and enjoying it. What I love about Quorn's line is that they have so many different products to choose from, each of which will pair with whatever your planning for dinner. There's definitely a Quorn product for everything.

They're super easy to whip up. Just a little oil in a frying pan and some browning action on both sides is all it takes. As the name suggests, they are very pepper forward in appearance and flavour. I loved the flavour of these steaks and I found they paired super well with my roasted brussel sprouts and sauteed mushrooms and onions. They were exactly what I wanted them to be for the meal I had planned.

I found them to be a little spongy which I often find is the problem with a lot of these meat free meats. Texture is probably one of the hardest things to nail when it comes to mimicking a meat product and unfortunately, these fell short in that department. I also found them to be a little thinner than I anticipated which was kind of a let down. My only other complaint would be that the package suggests eating them both within 24 hours after opening the package which is fine if there's two of you but for one it kind of forces you to eat them both immediately and if you're like me and not in the mood for the same thing the next day, that can be a bit of a hindrance.

BYPASS or BUY? - I'm torn. I really enjoyed the flavour but the texture and size of the steaks were a bit of a let down. I'll leave this one up to you guys to try and come to your own conclusions. Let me know what you guys thought of them when you try them, I want to hear from you!

I must admit, there's quite a variety of brands here in Ireland that offer a variety of quality looking vegetarian / vegan products, it's been quite exciting going shopping.

My latest trip to the market turned up some new products including these Cumberland sausages from Cauldron brand, seasoned with pepper and rosemary. If I had to pick one meat I missed more than anything, it would probably be sausage. I never really had an expensive palate, I was good with sausages and burgers and found enjoyment in the simplest of foods. That's why these sausages are right up my alley, something to pair with a free range egg and some veggies in the morning.

All it takes is a little oil in a hot pan and some browning on all sides and these babies are ready to go. I often have found sausages by other veggie brands to be spongy and lacking that outer crust I remember so distinctly from meat based sausages but these sausages delivered. Not only did I absolutely love the flavour of them, but they fried nicely on the outside and even popped a little when I cut into them. The texture was much meatier than other brands I've tried and had a great texture, one that felt right when chewing. They're pretty freaking delicious to be honest, worth every euro I paid for them.

No only were these delicious, but they inspired me to check out Cauldron's website to see what other products they offer and they have a pretty good selection of veggie meat products. Other sausage varieties, three different styles of falafel, and tofu products as well. I'm definitely going to look for the rest of their products the next time I hit the market. Check out their website for their information, products, and even a sign up for recipes and such! https://www.cauldronfoods.co.uk/

BYPASS or BUY? BUY BUY BUY! I'm obsessed. These are for sure going to be part of my once a week breakfast unless their other sausages are even better :)

Quorn is one of the largest vegan / vegetarian product brands her in the U.K. and Ireland and certainly one of the most recognizable. Every time I've gone shopping, I've only been able to spot the frozen varieties of their products but I recently visited one of the larger markets here and found a slew of their other products including these roasted filets. Made to look and mimic grilled chicken, I was looking forward to trying these as a protein packed topper for a fresh and delicious salad.

The package suggests you can eat them straight out of the pack but also gave instructions for warming them up in a pan which I wanted to do. I tried one right out of the package and was pleasantly surprised. The texture was pretty wonderful, it had the right consistency and wasn't chewy whatsoever which I often find vegan meats run the risk of being. Anyhow, I warmed them up in a skillet with a little oil until they were lightly browned on both sides and dressed my salad with them. It was one of the most satisfying salads I'd had in some time.

They were the perfect addition to an otherwise light and refreshing salad. They provided a nice warm component, had a really enjoyable flavour and texture, and as I mentioned, added some much needed protein. I found myself looking forward to every bite of salad with a filet on it and the amount of fillets in the package was perfect for a meal sized salad or you could split it into two side salads as well.

BYPASS or BUY?BUY!! I strongly suggest you guys try these. As I said, they're the perfect protein packed addition to an otherwise light salad. They have a great flavour and texture and are super easy to whip up in a flash.

I visited the QUORN website and I must admit, they have quite an extensive line of meat substitutes that I'm looking forward to trying. Expect to see many more reviews of their products in the future. Check out their website for yourselves to see what a wonderful range of products they have!

Another savoury pie from Deluxe, Lidl's "luxury" brand that I spotted while shopping and just had to try. As I mentioned before, I'm a sucker for pot pies. Growing up, I was always so excited to eat pot pies, delicious creamy fillings surrounded by a wonderfully flaky pie outside, it was the perfect combination for me.

I recently reviewed Deluxe's Moroccan pies and when I spotted this, knew I had to give it a try. I was initially excited at the combination of cheddar and cauliflower because cauli and cheese are like a match made in heaven as far as I'm concerned. They are just meant for one another like tacos and Tuesdays.

Affter baking for 45 minutes, the top of the pie started to look a little dark so I decided to remove it at that point despite the box stating 45 - 50 from frozen. The top of the pie was like a flaky phyllo style pastry while the bottom portion of the pie was more traditional in its texture. As always, I flipped the pie over to eat from the bottom because c'mon guys, that's the only way to eat these types of pies. The filling is always the best part and then you can decide how much crust you want to eat. Unlike the Moroccan pies from this brand, I found the crust / filling ratio to be much better so I was able to eat the entire thing myself.

The filling was super rich and full of veggies which I thoroughly enjoyed. It was creamy and delicious although I found myself searching for that distinctive cheddar flavour I was looking for but that's probably the only thing I didn't like about them and that's a reach because they were pretty delicious. I loved the consistency of the filling as well, it was thick and creamy which I enjoyed.

BYPASS OR BUY? - BUY! I seriously suggest buying them for yourselves! The pie is large enough that it will feed 2 if you enjoy it with a nice salad to cut through the richness. It's only 1.99 which I think is well worth what you get for it. It was super rich and yummy and as I mentioned, there was the perfect crust - filling ratio. It's going to be something I eat again for sure!

I haven't been able to try as many products as I'd like here in Dublin because the hostel I'm living at doesn't have a freezer. This makes it especially difficult to try all of the wonderful frozen vegan / vegetarian products I've spotted while shopping because I have nowhere to store them. With that being said, I decided to pick up these Moroccan veggie Pies from the DELUXE brand this past trip and eat them right as soon as I got home so that I could try them out. I was super excited to try these because one of the meals I miss eating from my MED (meat eating days) is meat pies. I just loved the creamy, stew like center and flaky pie crust on the outside, they were one of my favs.

These were especially tempting because they had a slew of delicious ingredients inside like kale, chickpeas, and peppers and I imagined that the Moroccan aspect would be the aromatic spices and flavours I was expecting on the inside.

Cooking from froze, they take about 35 - 40 minutes which at the time, felt like an eternity. When they came out of the oven they were golden brown and had puffed up quite nicely. I was eagerly awaiting popping them out of their tins and tearing into them. Interesting, I couldn't really smell anything which I was surprised about but I was not deterred, I was still excited to crack into them

Once cracked, they oozed out with a delicious and fragrant sauce full of veggies and chickpeas. The filling itself was absolutely delicious and so comforting despite not being a traditional "pot pie". They were hearty and wonderful and the crust itself was flaky and light. If I had to make a complaint, I'd say the ratio of crust to filling was a little bit off. I ended up flipping the second pie over and eating from the bottom so I could avoid the excess crust from the top. Considering that's the only complaint, I'd say these hit the spot!

BYPASS OR BUY? - BUYThey're super flavourful and filling, the crust is flaky and delicious although rather abundant, you can eat around it. They were only 1.99 euros for two so you could essentially have them for lunch one at a time with a salad or enjoy them for dinner in a pair. I absolutely loved them and I suggest you guys get out there and try a box for yourself!

Can I get a YAAAASSS for the beyond meat burger coming to the U.K.? Beyond Meat confirms that the beyond burger is heading to the U.K. this year after a successful entry into Canadian markets and a hiccup in production that saw a shortage in Canadian markets. For those of you that don't know, the popularity of the beyond burger is astronomical and was so successful in Canada that beyond meat was unable to keep up with production leaving Canadian fans of the burger travelling to the United States to get their fix.

Beyond Meat is now on top of production and heading to the U.K. where excited vegans and vegetarians have been waiting for this moment since the burger came out. Beyond burgers simulate a beefy burger in every way imaginable in that they appear like beef, fry up and smell like beef, and taste just like a juicy, beef burger leaving you questioning whether the burger is actually plant based. It gives an exceptional amount of protein without any of the cruelty to animals or environmental impact that traditional beef burgers come with.

Photo not mine. Taken from https://www.veganfoodandliving.com

In my experience, there are actually quite a lot of vegan and vegetarian products on shelves here in Ireland although I can't speak for the entire U.K. but a recent study suggested that 1/3 of Britons have either reduced or quit eating meat so the Beyond Burger comes at the perfect time to capitalize on this momentum. It offers even meat eaters who are environmentally conscious the peace of mind of knowing that they are getting a tasty burger without all of the damage to our environment of a traditional beef burger.

Producing plant based burgers uses a fraction of the water and reduces greenhouse gases significantly when compared to traditional, factory farmed beef burgers. The environmental benefit to eating plant based is widely recognized and I think it's safe to say that more and more people are waking up to these facts and attempting to change their eating habits to reflect this. With Global Warming being a big issue that is regularly discussed, it's obvious that it is getting through to people as they turn to plant based proteins to contribute to greenhouse reductions.

Beyond Burgers are delicious y'all. If you haven't tried one, you need to. I shared one with my meat eating father and a couple of my meat eating friends and they all agreed that the burgers were delicious. As I said, they're ridiculously juicy and give you the same satisfaction of eating a beef burger without contributing to an industry that is cruel to animals and destroys the environment. I am so excited at this expansion into U.K. markets and hope to see Beyond products on shelves across the globe. :)